PORCELAIN CERAMIC PHOTOS ORDERING INFORMATION

(Answers to all your frequently asked questions)

This Ordering Information page is not required reading, but helpful to you if you wish to spend the time to read through it before you order. We will give you all the ordering information when we hear from you by email, or telephone. Please call us at 404-262-7450, and we will be happy assist you with all questions. Please submit your order through our temporary "Contact Us" page in main menu, as we rebuild our Order Forms.

Once you have reviewed this page, please see Sizes and Prices. Before ordering please see "Submitting Photos" for instructions on how to send us the photo you wish to use for the Porcelain Photo.

Porcelain Photos are sometimes referred to as "Ceramic Photos", or "Ceramic Cameo Photos". These have traditionally only been offered by Mortuaries or Cemeteries for placement on a tombstone. Now you can order them yourself from a company that sells to individuals for use as stand-alone Porcelain Photos to display on a shelf/mantle/table as a family heirloom, or to install on a tombstone yourself, saving you hundreds of dollars.

On this page:

Do-It-Yourself Mounting On Tombstone

Italian made Porcelain Photos

Kiln fired vs heat transfer (Sublimation)

Italian made vs U.S. made Porcelain/Ceramic Photos

Purchasing Porcelain Photos from Mortuaries/cemeteries

Important information on Kiln fired Porcelain Photos

Do-It-Yourself Mounting on Tombstone:If placing a porcelain tile on a headstone yourself, it is recommended that you use 100% pure silicone, a clear, flexible adhesive found at many hardware stores, to mount the tile on the headstone/tombstone. We will instruct you on the best do-it-yourself procedure for mounting photo tiles on cemetery tombstones. If ordering a Corian Plaque with Porcelain Photo tiles, we will mount the photo tile for you. Prices for Porcelain Photos added to your plaque are incorporated into 1/4" or 1/2" Corian Plaque prices.

If ordering a headstone/tombstone directly from a mortuary or cemetery, it is NOT necessary to inset the photo tile on the tombstone as the photo tiles are only 1/8" in thickness, with slightly domed surface, and can easily be mounted on the tombstone without undue "rise" on the surface of the tombstone. (Oval Porcelain Photo tiles have slightly domed surface, while rectangular shaped photo tiles have a flat surface, and are usually about 3/16" thickness). We do not offer adhesive backed Porcelain Photo tiles as the adhesive will not adhere forever and your Porcelain Photo tile may fall off the surface of the tombstone over time. We offer only Italian made photo tiles that are 1/8" thickness, while other U.S. companies offering these porcelain photos use only the 1/4" thick photo tiles.

Italian made Porcelain Photos:Italian made Porcelain Photos are the GOLD STANDARD in quality, color reproduction, and clarity. The Italian made porcelain tiles can be ordered only in standard sizes listed on this site. They are 1/8" in thickness, with a slightly domed surface, and can be easily attached to tombstones or plaques by yourself. (Instructions provided). Porcelain/ceramic photo tiles are traditionally offered through mortuaries, funeral homes, and cemeteries at much higher prices than ours. These photo tiles can be displayed in the home as family heirlooms and may be purchased as stand-alone cameo photo portraits for display on a wall or easel. We carry them as an add on for our Corian Plaques, with custom wording engraved by Custom Engraving Services. Adding wording on the Porcelain Photo itself will require extra editing fees. We will recommend sizes appropriate for your application. Please see Sizes and Prices, and Submitting Photos before placing your order, for instructions on the specifications of the photos you must send to us. It is important that we talk to you by telephone to discuss details of your order.

Kiln fired vs heat transfer process ("sublimation"): The Porcelain Photo products are kiln-fired and the photo is embedded in the porcelain making them impervious to outdoor environmental conditions (U.V. light). They are guaranteed for "life" against fading, cracking, or peeling. These are the only color photos you can display outdoors without fading over time. Do not also be fooled by companies offering photos on ceramic tiles that are produced through a process called "sublimation", that can not be guaranteed for outdoor use for more than 2-3 years.

Italian made vs U.S. made Porcelain/Ceramic Photos:Don't be fooled by low prices, low quality, U.S. companies using sub-par equipment and ink toners, producing faded colors, blemishes on the face of the photo tile, and other flaws in the finished product. These companies have cropped up in the U.S. over last couple of years and sell low quality porcelain photos. We know....we have obtained samples from them. We would love to be supplied by a U.S. company, but the Italians do it best because of their extraordinary skill from decades of experience producing photos on porcelain tiles or other products, for use on outdoor cemetery tombstones. The Italian companies only supply re-sellers, and you cannot order an individual Porcelain Photo from them.

Purchasing Photo Tiles from Mortuaries/Cemeteries:The labor involved to inset the photo tile on a granite tombstone is the reason mortuaries charge so much more for this add-on to your tombstone. You will save money if you order from us, and install on a tombstone yourself. You may have to ask permission from the cemetery to place Porcelain Photos on the tombstone, whether you do it yourself, or a mortuary does it for you. Some cemeteries even charge a fee for a mortuary to install on a current tombstone at a cemetery. This is another reason you will find much high prices if you order these Porcelain Photos directly from a mortuary when the tombstone is initially produced for you. Prices for Porcelain Photos if ordered directly from a mortuary/cemetery can be as high as hundreds of dollars more than our very competitive prices.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION on Kiln fired Porcelain Photo:Porcelain Photo tiles (sometimes called "Ceramic" tiles) are reproduced from your submitted photos using special ink toners. Once this process is completed the photo tiles are kiln-fired at high temperatures, embedding the photo into the porcelain tile, providing permanent protection against fading from ultra-violet light rays in an outdoor environment.

Ceramic toners do not have the variety of combinations to produce the millions of colors that digital photography has given us. The magenta color used with ceramic toners is made with gold and gives a browner hue to the reds. The reason magenta is used is that the standard Cadmium red does not mix readily with other toners. When the toners are fired in the kiln they change color slightly. This means, after being fired, the colors on the porcelain tile may not be an exact match of the original photograph. We cannot guarantee that the final photo tile is identical in every way to the original photo.